Heavy rain and melting snow in recent weeks has resulted in substantial flooding in Iowa and Nebraska, causing houses to be damaged and people to evacuate.

For Paige Bendt, the flooding is personal.

The junior psychology and philosophy major’s home in Glenwood, Iowa was not spared from the intense flooding.

“I have mixed emotions. It’s almost a month since it happened. I was initially just like really in shock. I didn’t really know how to process it,” Bendt said.

The Bendt family evacuated her town before the flood. Her house and a majority of the town was submerged in water. Many buildings in the town have been damaged beyond repair.

It wasn’t until last Sunday that Bendt and her family were cleared to go back into their house.

“Now that we’ve been able to get inside and see the house it is really devastating to physically see all of it,” Bendt said.

When Bendt’s family entered the room, they were greeted by a terrible smell. They discovered a majority of their belongings and many of their appliances had been thrown around the house. Chairs and tables had also been tipped over. The door to Bendt’s room had been ripped off its hinges.

The house sustained severe water damage, and most of their personal belongings were destroyed.

Photo submitted by Paige Bendt | Junior psychology and philosophy major Paige Bendt’s home in Glenwood, Iowa, flooded. Heavy rain and fast melting has caused major flooding in western Iowa and Nebraska.

Bendt said the local and national government have been doing what they can to help people affected by the flooding.

“I think that they’re doing the best they can under the circumstances,” Bendt said. “I haven’t heard much about what local government is doing, but I know Vice President Pence came down earlier this week and assessed the damage.”

Even with the national attention that has been placed on the flooding in Iowa, Bendt’s house is still damaged beyond repair.

“We are not going to rebuild there,” she said. “We’re looking for a house in Glenwood just because it is a total loss. It would be a relatively long time before we were able to fully get the house. So, we’re just looking at getting a new house.”

Over Easter weekend, the Bendt family will be going through their house to try to salvage what belongings they can.